Casablanca - Post Report Question and Answers
What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
The shipping of personal items will take well over half a year for anything. It takes months to get accredited, and several months to get your shipments. You will be living out of your suitcase for a very very long time, and you will have to figure out local transportation options if you cannot go to work on foot. Also, the consulate is moving in the next couple of years, so everyone will have to commute to work through pretty awful traffic. - Sep 2022
Learn some language before you arrive, it will make your stay more enjoyable. The sea in Casablanca is just for watching, or sometimes surfing: the currents are too dangerous to swim. The closest beaches are a bit of a drive. - Jun 2021
How dirty it is and how much of an unfriendly post it is for families with children. - Feb 2016
Wish I had known it was a big, dirty, crowded city with no real culture. The beaches in town are not nice and tend to be very crowded and male dominated. There is a lack of clean, safe, outdoor space. The rest of Morocco is wonderful and a tour in Rabat would be very different. - Jul 2014
I wish someone had told us more about the reality of life here: getting anywhere is a slog due to the horrible traffic. Also that the dichotomy is so stark: there are slums within walking distance of nice houses, and the wealthy are quite enamored with their cars, designer clothes, and overall lifestyle and this can get a bit depressing. Forget about really walking anywhere if you live in the suburbs -- it's not that pleasant and you will get looks/receive unwanted (occasionally verbal) attention. Also: there is a stunning lack of green space. The corniche is OK-ish, but doesn't really make up for that and in the summer it's incredibly crowded and unpleasant, esp. with the horses/their refuse. Surfing is the main outdoor activity and if you run, go early in the morning along the ocean. Again -- it's OK, but not great. - May 2014
